Kimpton Canary Hotel

31 W Carrillo St, Santa Barbara
(805) 884-0300

Recent Reviews

Jennifer B.

Kimptons are great, especially if you have a pet. They are super pet friendly, and I love that.On this trip, unfortunately I didn't have my fur child but enjoyed a girl's weekend in Santa Barbara. We arrived at the hotel a little after noon and we had just planned on leaving our bags and setting out for the day since I knew that check-in wasn't until 4pm. It took a few minutes for someone to come to the front desk but that was ok, they were decorated for Christmas, and we were enjoying looking at the lights. To our surprise, our room was ready, and we set off to the 4th floor to see our room. We had a two-queen bedroom with about a 6inch "balcony". The room was very spacious, and the bathroom was large. It had a separate tub and shower. Plenty of space to for girls to get ready. As with all Kimptons, they serve free wine from 5pm-6pm and have a coffee bar in the mornings from like 6-10? Maybe 5-10. We did not have food at the hotel but did get a couple drinks at the bar and the bar staff was very friendly and recommended some special holiday drinks. They do have a rooftop pool that we didn't get to enjoy but it's beautiful at night and has great views of Santa Barbara. They were hosting a free yoga class in the morning, but it was a little early for our late night. The Canary is a little pricey, but I think it's worth it, especially if you have a fur baby. It was quiet, the beds were comfortable and it's in a good location just right off State Street so you can walk to everything. If you want a comfortable, safe place to stay that's a little bougie, than the canary is the place to stay.

Bryan A.

I've never had a bad experience at a Kimpton hotel. Canary did not disappoint.I was here for a weekend during this past September and decided to stay here. I typically stay at Milo because its across the street from the beach but they've been in serious need of a remodel so It's been some time since I've stayed there. My second choice was always the Pendry because... well... its the Pendry.. but I decided to stay at the Canary this time around to see what all the buzz is about.The hotel is very well maintained and has that Santa Barbara spanish charm that I adore!I booked using my IHG app and upon arrival they upgraded my room to a juliet suite which was fabulous. They also gave me a complimentary tote bag with water bottles which was needed because for some reason mother nature thought we'd like 85 degree weather. I didn't get many pictures of the room oops! but it was comfortable and quite large. The beds were soft as you'd expect from a Kimpton hotel and the pillows were V plush!Overall my experience here was great!

Glenn G.

In the past, I've always made a point of staying at Kimpton hotels whenever I'm traveling with one of my four-footed children. The prices are usually fairly high, and the rooms are pretty small, but you couldn't beat the way they always made my dogs and I feel welcome. That is, until now.I've stayed at this property a couple of times in the past few years, but this time things were different in a bad way:1. The room prices were even higher than I remember them being2. Housekeeping provided lackluster, non-responsive service3. Management's focus now seems to be exclusively on making a profit, without providing value to the clientsDuring my three night stay, there was one period of a couple of hours when my Hooligans were alone in the room. Prior to this, they had visited the beach and been bathed, so they were completely pooped and ready to sleep the sleep if the innocent. As it it turned out, one of my boys wasn't asleep the entire time - he woke up long enough to briefly scratch at the door. He left a couple of shallow marks on the lower panel of the wooden door. When I saw it, I wasn't worried about it. It was so minor that if it had happened in my home I would have completely ignored it.After I drove home from Santa Barbara, I reviewed the bill they'd emailed me a couple of hours after my departure, and I saw not one but two different charges (one on the 1st morning and another on the 2nd) for "Extra Cleaning Fees" totaling $400! I called the hotel and ended up talking to a manager. He told me that the fees were to correct the scratch my dog left on the door. After some discussion, he admitted that there was only one scratch, so he agreed to remove one of the two cleaning fees, leaving me still stuck with a charge of $250!My attempts to further reason with the manager went nowhere; he agreed that the amount of the fee wasn't in line with the cost of repairing "the damage", but the hotel wanted compensation for the fact that the room would be unavailable to rent for what might be a couple of hours - who knew that this Kimpton was now renting their rooms by the hour!? I ended up being told I'd have to talk to the General Manager if I wanted them to consider reducing the fee, so I asked the manager I was talking to to have the GM call me - he never did...If you, like me, have used the Kimpton chain in the past because they're so welcoming to our Canine family members, I suggest you reconsider staying here in the future, as the place simply isn't as dog friendly as it used be.

Alan R.

Not a luxury hotel, don't pay up for this fraternity house experience Super loud, most common areas are rented out for parties... so no pool for guestsHeat location if you want to PARTY ALL NIGHT!!!I must admit, the hotel rooms are beautiful, and the hotel was apologetic for our experience.

Tony G.

Very hard to find a Kimpton and give a lesser review. This location was as a slow day at work, where everyone just got off vacay! The room, staff, food weren't disappointing!

Elizabeth B.

As someone who LOVES a good hotel and is very partial to five stars, let me just say that this Kimpton totally blew it out of the water and was the best four star hotel I've stayed at in ages. I honestly don't know what people are complaining about...Room: we got the most basic king room and the room was huge and beautiful! We left the standing balcony doors open at night and it was so peaceful. We never heard any neighbors or anyone in the hall (in contrast to reviews saying the walls are paper thin..so not sure if it depends on where in the hotel you are)?Amenities: this Kimpton is the GOAT when it comes to amenities. Cute bike cruisers with helmets are free to borrow to ride down to the beaches or wharf. Every room also gets a free class at Corepower which was fun and we used one morning..just a few blocks away and super easy to just book a class and then give the Kimpton password when you checked in. There were also lots of coupons for a free drink or buy one get one free wineries in town, all available on the website they text you when you check in. The rooftop pool is stunning! We were there during the week and it was never very busy. We had it to ourselves at sunset one night and again at 9:30 am when we were sipping the complimentary iced coffee on the deck. If you are celebrating a special occasion or even staying here for your honeymoon or before your wedding, I would definitely consider getting a photographer to get some cute couples shots on the rooftop because talk about an amazing view at sunset. Wine hour every night from 5-6 pm in the lobby had surprisingly good wine options and came with a little cheese and cracker appetizer. The hot coffee in the morning was pretty watery and my only complaint, but they also had iced coffee which was much better. Location: could not be better. 1/2 block to state street which is the main drag and a very lovely pedestrian only promenade. We walked to some awesome restaurants (Sama Sama, Apna Indian, all the restaurant stalls in Santa Barbara Public Market). Service: excellent. All questions answered quickly. We did not have any issues. Everyone we encountered was super friendly and helpful. Restaurant: we did not eat at Finch and Fork because there were just so many restaurants in downtown Santa Barbara that we wanted to check out, but we were always surprised how busy it was and definitely had a good vibe. Bottom line: definitely our new favorite weekend getaway hotel. We will be back!

Reba Fernandez

The farm to table food at the restaurant in the hotel was marvelous. I would also recommend the wine hour which is at 5pm. I'm health oriented so I really appreciated the yoga mats they have in each room. Really makes me feel at home. And when you're ready to relax, try the Float Spa. I would compare this place in a lot of regards to Hotel Californian. You simply can't go wrong.

Service: 5

Iain MacSween

This hotel is not worth the money. After seeing the Californian and experiencing the Kimpton Canary it is no contest. The service is spotty, the breakfast staff were great but elsewhere not great. We couldn’t get room service one of our nights and were given a 100 dollar credit towards our food and drink the rest of the stay. Not really ideal when you are hungry and tired and paying 750 dollars for the night. The walls are VERY thin which can make sleeping difficult if you have a barking dog or loud neighbour. The beds are comfortable. I wouldn’t go back, it’s a rip off and honestly barely a 4 star experience.

Service: 2

Tiffany Liaw

Alright, but disappointing for a 4 star luxury hotel.Summary: dog friendly, comfy bed, but overpriced for the room quality & lacking in customer service.To start off, there was a system error so they assigned us the wrong room. We literally scanned the key card & opened the door into an occupied room, where a large dog ran towards us. Grant, the front desk employee, gave us a free upgrade, although he was noticeably more bubbly/friendly to other guests even though we expressed that we were understanding of the mistake. He continued to be cold towards us at happy hour as well, which was a stark contrast to the level of service that he provided to the people around us, & how the other employees treated us. It made us feel unwelcome & a little uncomfortable.Less Concerning Cons:- very thin walls, you can hear a lot of noise from the neighbors- window wouldn't close & was missing a handle- only hotel parking option was valet for $45 (or a public lot for $3/hr next door)- no pet relief areas despite being very pet friendlyPros:- no pet fee, room service provided dog bowls and a dog bed- manager-hosted happy hour was nice: @5-6pm you get a free glass of wine & a little snack- bed was very comfy: neither of us woke up with aches or pains- we liked the small details in the room: Nespresso machine, nicely scented soaps & lotionsOverall we expected a little more (especially in customer service) for our stay. We'd love to give other Kimpton locations a try but we likely won't be returning to this one.Rooms: The room itself was alright. Clean, but the window was broken and could not close. Walls were very thin too. Quite a few dings on the wall that were just painted over rather than repaired. Bed was very comfy thoughSafety: It’s downtown so there were quite a few homeless people nearby & rowdy people walking around. We did not feel threatened by any of them though.Walkability: Great location, close to lots of restaurants, parks, and the beach

Service: 2

Tiffany L.

Alright, but disappointing for a 4 star luxury hotel. Summary: dog friendly, comfy bed, but overpriced for the room quality & lacking in customer service.To start off, there was a system error so they assigned us the wrong room. We literally scanned the key card & opened the door into an occupied room, where a large dog ran towards us. Not sure how that happened. Grant, the front desk employee, gave us a free upgrade as an apology, although he was noticeably more bubbly/friendly to other guests even though we expressed that we were understanding of the mistake. He continued to be cold towards us at happy hour as well, which was a stark contrast to the level of service that he provided to the people around us, & how the other employees treated us. It made us feel unwelcome & a little uncomfortable. Less Concerning Cons:- walls were very thin & you can hear a lot from your neighbors- window wouldn't close & was missing a handle- only hotel parking option was valet for $45 (or a public lot for $3/hr next door)- no pet relief areas despite being very pet friendlyPros:- no pet fee, room service provided dog bowls and a dog bed- manager-hosted happy hour was nice: @5-6pm you get a free glass of wine & a little snack- bed was very comfy: neither of us woke up with aches or pains- we liked the small details in the room: Nespresso machine, nicely scented soaps & lotionsOverall we expected a little more (especially in customer service) for our stay. We'd love to give other Kimpton locations a try but we likely won't be returning to this one.

hsea90

We had a wonderful three nights at the Kimpton Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara. From the moment we arrived the hotel staff was kind and especially caring, making sure felt incredibly valued. The valets in particular were phenomenal and really invested in providing personal and proactive service—they knew us by name, remembered where we were going and proactively made recommendations on places to go and see! The hotel is very well located. We loved being able to walk to the restaurants and shops nearby. Our premium king Juliet balcony room was beautifully decorated, very spacious, and had a nice view over downtown toward the water. The bathroom was large with a separate shower and tub. We spent two afternoons at the rooftop pool. The bartender was very nice and the drinks were great. The pool is heated and was the perfect temperature to relax in. The seating directly next to the pool is limited and competitive, but there was plenty of extra seating on the lower terrace of the roof. We spent a lot of time in the large chairs next to the fire place and loved it. We were celebrating our fifth anniversary and the hotel helped me coordinate for a surprise gift to be left in our room for my partner. It was wonderful how enthusiastic they were about going the extra mile to make our stay that much more special. We look forward to visiting again in the future!

Brandon B

We wanted to take this opportunity to put on record my sincere appreciation to the Hotel and its entire staff, especially Paul McWilliams & Tristan Garfis for the excellent customer service, hospitality, and attention to our needs on our wedding day, on a continuous basis. We are very happy and delighted to be a repeat customer in this hotel for our special occasions.

Service: 5

Adventurer18601031

While the hotel's location near State St. is mostly great (except for the stream of unsheltered people) and the decor very nice, there's much about this hotel not to like. The front desk employees do not seem very knowledgeable. They provided wrong and inconsistent information about the most basic things (e.g., type of room assigned, availability of a microwave, $10 daily minibar benefit). The rooms themselves are small, have thin walls, and no desks. My bathroom had a major plumbing problem during my stay (dirt and hair from another guest flooded my bathtub) causing me to switch rooms. The general manager seemed to know nothing about it two days later and didn't care about the other concerns I expressed. Other parts of the hotel seem to have low caliber employees. The hotel bartender left a cocktail for me on a dirty bar table. He couldn't bother to wipe it down, even though he had only one other customer at the time, a friend of his. The minibar downstairs is a joke. $9 for a Coke! $10 for Haribo gummy bears that would cost $2.79 at Walgreens! I will not be returning to this hotel.

Fearless44092811838

Booked nicest most expensive room and extremely disappointing. So small. Balcony we knew small. But sharing with a dog!! No privacy. Loud cars and terrible view. NO EARLY CHECK IN. I would go elsewhere next time.

TravelQueen56_10

Seriously great service and staff with a lovely location. The rooftop pool and views are beautiful. Finch and Fork serves thoughtfully crafted food and cocktails. The bar staff was very knowledgeable and helpful. We had a room with a Juliette balcony and it was nice to open the doors to our room.

Load More